Social worker in hiding

UPDATE 11:27 a.m.

Police now tell Castanet it could take several more months before they can consider charges against a social worker who lied about his qualifications.  

Cpl. Jesse O'Donaghey says plainclothes investigators and RCMP General Investigation Section have executed a number of production orders related to the investigation, which continues to progress at this time.

"Determining an exact timeline for the conclusion of such an investigation is not realistic," he said. 

"However, given the complexity of the case, it is certainly possible that the investigation could take several more months to reach the stage of forwarding the findings to the BC Prosecution Service for charge considerations," says O'Donaghey.

ORIGINAL 5 a.m.

New allegations against a Kelowna social worker accused of stealing from youth in his care claim he also lied about his education.

Castanet obtained bombshell documents Wednesday, that included a resume and alleged forged degree for Robert Riley Saunders. Both claim he graduated with a Bachelors of Social Work in 1994 and a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology in 1992.

But the institution says he never graduated.

“There is no record of that individual graduating from the University of Manitoba,” says university executive director of public affairs John Danakas.

Castanet visited the home of Saunders Wednesday evening, an address confirmed in court documents, but were told it was a mistake by a woman that answered the door.

Court filings show the credit union entangled in Saunders’ alleged thefts attempted to serve him with a third-party lawsuit, hiring a skip tracer to track him down in late 2018 and early 2019. They ultimately were granted an application by the courts to serve him by email.

Castanet also reached out to Saunders through a cell phone number revealed in court documents to question him about the allegations, but got no answer.

His resume states he worked at the ministry since November 1996 and B.C.'s Representative for Children and Youth, Jennifer Charlesworth, says they believe over 45 youth were victimized by Saunders.

Castanet asked the Ministry of Children and Family Development if Saunders was vetted and if they confirmed his education, but they said they could not comment.

“As per Public Service Agency guidelines, currently all prospective employees are required to sign a statement confirming the accuracy and validity of information in their application package, including educational history.”

Local hiring managers with MCFD may verify an applicant’s degree by requesting an original or certified copy from the university, the ministry said.

Conroy said moving forward, the ministry is working to develop a screening guide for child protection workers.

“This process will include validation of an applicant’s credentials,” said Conroy.

None of the above allegations have been proven in court and no criminal charges have yet been laid.

with files from Colin Dacre